§ MR. L. CAREW (Dublin, College Green)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) whether he is aware that no Catholic Chaplain has been appointed to the Grangegorman female convict prison since 1883, whereas a Protestant chaplain was appointed at a salary of £40 a year to minister to nine Protestant convicts, the number of Catholics in that year being 89, and that now the number of Protestant convicts is only three, while that of the Catholics is 30; (2) whether he is aware that the Catholic chaplain of the Grangegorman local prison has, since 1883, been required to serve the female convicts in the convict prison without remuneration; (3) whether he will state under what Statute the Catholic chaplain is required to perform the duties of chaplain in the female convict prison; (4) whether he will undertake to remunerate the Catholic chaplain of Grangegorman local prison for his services to the Catholic convicts in the female convict prison since 1883; and, (5) whether Will appoint a Catholic chaplain at an adequate salary for the special purpose of ministering to the Catholic female convicts.
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe figures mentioned in the Question as to the religious denominations of convicts at Grangegorman in 1883 and at present are correctly stated. When in 1883 the prison at Grangegorman, which, until that year, had been a local prison for both sexes, was constituted a convict and local prison for one sex only, the Protestant and Roman Catholic chaplains were required, pursuant to the provisions of the Prisons Act 1877, to minister to the female convicts in lieu of the male prisoners to whom they had previously ministered. Neither of them received a formal separate appointment 153 to the convict prison. The salary of the Protestant chaplain -was increased from £80 to £120 per annum, and the salary of £200 paid to the Roman Catholic chaplain was continued, that being regarded as the maximum rate. This latter salary was made up, prior to 1883, of two separate salaries of £100 a year, for attendance on male and female prisoners respectively. It is not correct to say that since 1883 the Roman Catholic chaplain had been required to minister to the female convicts without remuneration, inasmuch as when the male prisoners were transferred from Grangegorman the same remuneration was continued to the Roman Catholic chaplain for his attendance on female convicts. This gentleman has no claim for extra remuneration as suggested in the fourth paragraph. His case has been repeatedly considered by successive Governments, who have decided that he is adequately remunerated by the salary of £200 for the discharge of his duties.